Until Thursday, I was pretty sure that I had been completely desensitized from most hurtful words. #epicfail. Side note…word of wisdom for any fast food purchaser (no worries, I will compile more of these at the end of the summer): never, ever be mean to the drive-thru girl for fun. Not nice. So there I was, just chilling in the back drive-thru, minding my own business and attempting to decipher the noise coming through my headset enough to take orders, and all of the sudden THEY pull up.
After the “Can I take your order?” was stated, it began like a normal order. I heard the man on the other end say that he wanted a #10 with a diet coke, then it sounded like the microphone was submerged in water. I asked him to clarify, and changed the order to fit what I thought he had said. Then he asked to take off the initial item on his order, and asked to put it back on again. Needless to say, I was very confused. The volume of his voice increased as he began shooting demands my way. Every time I pushed a button on the screen, he yelled, “No!” quickly correcting me. My face was probably a very nice bright shade of pink at this point, because I was so incredibly frustrated. Regardless, I said a quick prayer for patience and poise. After asking him to repeat his entire order because I had absolutely no idea what he currently wanted, he freaked out even more. Being a people-pleaser, I have never actually had someone cuss me out. Well, I can definitely check that one off my bucket list. My new friend yelled words I have never heard before all the way up to my window, not even finishing his order. Thankfully, I managed to stay calm and professional during the entire fiasco.
I quickly called back one of my guy friends to handle this out-of-control guy, partly because I was fearful of being shanked, and partly because I was nearly in tears. Thankfully, Ray Ray efficiently handled the situation. Good thing my patience and peace did not come from my own power, or they might have run out very quickly.
As much as I like to sarcastically describe the situations in my life, I can honestly say that this was one of most tempting times this summer to lose control of my emotions. When people are attempting to push you over your limits, you can do one of two things:
1. Give in
2. Ask for help
It’s that simple. Believe me, self-control is not the easiest thing to will ourselves to have in any light. Especially when everything inside of you is screaming to panic. Let’s face it, to get anxious about the situation at hand seems like the go-to response. That is why it is so important to reach out for help. When we ask, God provides peace.
“Do be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” –Phillippians 4:6-7
AKA—Instead of getting upset, ask God for help in any situation. He will give you his peace that gives you a new way to look at life, and will guard you from further hurt.
This is not just a little dash of peace to make things easier, he follows this up with a huge band-aid for our hearts to guard them from further worry and anxiety. The power of prayer is one thing in life that is truly amazing.
So giving me the will power to stay calm with a bully in the drive-thru is not exactly the biggest miracle God has performed. But this just goes to show that he truly cares about every single thing that makes us tick. He is waiting for us to ASK him for help so he can give us this slice of his character.
Hopefully you don’t have people yelling at you this summer, but you may be caught in the midst of a stressful summer job or class. Instead of panicking when things get crazy, I challenge you to simply ask for His help and be amazed by how quickly he can transform your life.
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